Saxony-Anhalt: coalition talks after the election, if the AfD fails to make a breakthrough
Political scientist Michael Kolkmann: “Faced with the choice between Alternative für Deutschland or working with Die Linke, the CDU will opt for the latter.” Much will depend on how many parties make it into the regional parliament and, above all, whether the SPD and the Greens manage to do so. The red-brown unknown factor of Sahra Wagenknecht’s Alliance
from our correspondent Gianluca Di Donfrancesco
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Key points
MAGDEBURG – “It would be a historic turning point in German politics.” Polling stations in Saxony-Anhalt opened on Sunday 6 September and will close at 6 pm. Alternative für Deutschland has a real chance of winning the state government in this former East German state, “which could make history”, says political scientist Michael Kolkmann of the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg.
All eyes on the SPD and the Greens
As well as its own share of the vote, the AfD is keeping an eye on that of the ‘smaller’ parties: much depends on how many parties will enter the regional parliament, particularly whether the SPD and the Greens will manage to clear the 5 per cent threshold.
According to the polls on the eve of the election, the AfD has 41 per cent of the vote, whilst the CDU, led by the outgoing governor Sven Schulze, stands at 23 per cent. The Linke follows with 11.5 per cent. These are the three parties certain to enter the Parliament. In a three-party assembly, due to the complex mechanism for allocating seats, the AfD could gain control and elect its own candidate, Ulrich Siegmund.
The SPD, which had long been teetering on the brink, has, however, made a comeback in the last few weeks and now stands at over 8 per cent. The Greens remain on a knife-edge, at 6 per cent.
The Left’s crutch
If the polls prove accurate, there could be a possibility of forming a minority government, with the support of Die Linke. The CDU would, however, need to be persuaded to lift its ban on cooperating with the left-wing party, which mirrors the ban on cooperating with the far right. Moreover, in Saxony-Anhalt, as elsewhere, some sections of the party harbour greater ideological reservations towards Die Linke than towards the xenophobic right, for example on issues such as immigration and renewable energy.
